Natsu x Lucy - Remember
by RoaringRaina
Summary: The sky was dark as the dark creature howled at the thunder. With all hope seemingly lost, a blonde steps up and protects what's important to her. CONTAINS SPOILERS TO LATER CHAPTERS OF THE MANGA! READ AT OWN RISK!


The sky had turned black as rain had started to fall with no end in sight. The darkness of the sky was broken only by the white of lightning, followed by the roars of thunder. The scenery had changed from a nice little city to ruins that would be found in history books. Houses were destroyed, trees torn from their places, fires accompanied the hastened step of those who fled. The calm river had turned into a miniature ocean, its waves hitting the stoned pavement and splashing down on those unfortunate enough to be dragged back to the dark depths of the water. The wind had picked up and toyed with the hair of the fleeing people, the dirt on the ground and it muffled the screams of the villagers, who were confused and scared.

Amidst this clash of the elements was a group of people, holding on to the remaining blocks that had once been their home. A home they had rebuilt many times, each rebuild making their resolve stronger to protect it. Their eyes were focused on the centre of this storm, the reason nature behaved the way it did. They were looking at what was once their comrade, their friend, their family and their hope, who had saved them from the darkest situations. They were exhausted, their energy running low. It took everything they had to stand on their feet but the creature had no shortage on energy. It laughed, a sound that was once pleasant, now dreadful and a horror to the ear. Its arms were slightly raised, covered with markings that weren't there before. It were markings the smartest of the lot had recognised as evil writing, belonging to demons and it was from that moment it had dawned on all present what they were dealing with. The demon laughed louder as another lightning flash caused a somehow undamaged roof to catch fire and it was followed by another scream. If the laughter wasn't pain enough, it were the screams of the innocent that made the hearts of the group feel like stone.

''We can't do this! We have to split up and help the villagers!'' screamed one of the women, her red hair just a toy to the wind. She had been holding a blue haired girl close to her and looked at her comrades. She had hidden the fear she felt in her heart and tried to act as the leader the group needed. Her determination showed in her eyes as her hair now flowed behind her like a firestorm. She pushed her sword into the ground and looked at her family once more. ''We need to help the villagers. Those who can't fight, help out the innocent. Those with healing abilities, go with them. We need to protect the villagers! We'll need a group to save..'' her voice trailed off as she watched the creature, who still seemed unaware of their presence. Or better, who had not bothered to show his interest in the group as he watched nature destroy the nearby town.

''She's right!'' yelled a black haired male. He had been with another group across the red haired woman and now nodded to her. ''We need to split up. I'm staying here.'' he said before the light blue woman next to him could argue. ''We need you and the others to help the villagers. Now hurry!'' The light blue haired female looked scared for a moment and then bit her lip. She looked over at the creature and with the realisation she could do nothing here, the helplessness in her heart grew.

''But-''

''No! We need you to help the others, Erza and I will deal with him! Trust me!'' The male gave her a reassuring look and the woman finally let go of his hand, unaware to the both of them they had been holding on to each other during the storm.

With the light blue haired woman left the vast majority of the group, all holding on to one another somehow and it left four people behind. Among them were the red haired woman, whose eyes betrayed nothing of the fear she felt and the raven haired male, his eyes not betraying his internal conflict. The old, tiny man whose disbelief was greatest of them all, watched the creature with wide eyes. And there was a young woman, sitting far from the group, closer to the creature, the shock having paralysed her legs so she was unable to get up. Her blonde hair was being toyed with by the wind and her brown eyes were blurry with tears as she watched him in horror. Her heart was torn over the pain of the villagers, over the destruction of her home, the destruction of the village, the destruction of the person who had always supported her when she had needed support. Her mouth was slightly open, but her voice was unable to portray the emotions stirring deep inside her.

''What are we going to do about him?'' Erza asked as she slowly made her way to the other members of the team.

''He's my child. It's my responsibility to save him.'' the old man argued as he watched with a painful heart. ''You guys take care of her. She's not moving.'' He pointed at the blonde who had still not moved from her spot, despite the changes in the group.

''No, Master, we can't let you deal with this.'' The raven haired male argued as his hands balled to fists. ''I said I would take care of it. I will.'' He added as his eyes betrayed no fear, just a strong determination to make things right. ''I'll do it.'' he repeated as his eyes shifted from the group of people to the creature. His eyes scanned over the arm with markings, the horns that grew from his head, the wings that seemed to rip the skin on his back apart. The blackness of all those features made him scared, it horrified him. His friend, his best friend, it were the remains of that friend he was looking at, but he wasn't going to be conflicted. He had promised himself to take care of him, to defeat this evil, and so he would.

Just as he was about to step forward, Erza laid a hand on his shoulder. ''We're doing this together, Gray. You don't have to do this alone. We will. As his friends.'' She looked over at the young woman with pain in her heart. ''We have to be quick about it. We have to protect her, she has been hurt enough for one life time.'' She added, pretending that the pain in her heart wasn't as unbearable and that her heart wasn't aching for the true meaning behind the words she and Gray had been interchanging. She knew what they meant, what she had to do. Even if the guilt would one day kill her, she had to protect the people she loved.

''Okay, let's go then.'' Deep inside of him, Gray felt relief that he wasn't going to be alone. He took one deep breath before he slowly put one foot in front of the other and together with Erza by his side, they walked to the middle of the hill, where the demon was still laughing at the hurt of others. They passed by the blonde and simultaneously lay a hand on her shoulder. Along with another lightning bolt, their heart was struck with pain as they received no response. Tears had smeared all over the face of the young lady, a face that usually never revealed her inner pain, that always put up a strong front. Now she looked broken, her hands hanging by her sides and her mouth ajar, with no sounds passing by her lips.

Erza leaned down so she could look her in the eye. ''Lucy, go to Master. Gray and I are going to fix this. So you just go and sit by Master, okay? Please get off the ground, you might get hurt.'' Her voice was soft, but it took all her power to sound steady and strong. Her eyes widened as Lucy looked up at her, her brown eyes glossy but lacked any real emotion or conviction. Lucy just stared at Erza's face, as if trying to understand what she had been saying. Erza's eyes softened at the sight of her friend and shook her head. ''Get up Lucy, go and sit by Master, you need to get out the line of fire.'' Lucy's lips trembled and it hurt Erza to see her friend like that. After blinking a few times with her brown orbs, the blonde moved. Her trembling hand pointed at the creature in the middle of the hill. Erza followed Lucy's finger and nodded, ''Gray and I will take care of it, don't you worry now.''

Despite her efforts, Lucy still remained seated and Gray shook his head. ''It's not going to work Erza, we'll just have to protect her.'' He argued as he could not bear to look at his team mate. He felt sorry for Lucy, he really did, but he felt like dealing with the demon deserved more attention at the moment. Erza agreed with him and silently they left the blonde to face the demon on the hill.

Erza took out her sword and equipped her strongest armour. She looked at Gray, who had been trying to repress the dark marks on his arm but was now allowing his demon slaying powers to come out. It was at the time the two were readying themselves, both mentally as well as physically, the demon noticed their presence. His black eyes had lost their mischievous sparkle and were cold and dark. His eyes shot between his childhood friends as if he was trying to determine who posed the bigger threat. His eyes rested on Gray, that had taken on a fighting stance, having found the resolve to fight.

A shrill laughter escaped the lips of the monster as his wings extended to their full length. He cocked his head to stare at Gray and then let out another shrill laugh. He moved his right arm back, his hand turning into a fist as he bend his knees slightly. ''Erza, here he comes!'' Gray noticed the stance and prepared to counter attack. His eyes locked on the pink haired demon, determined to finish this as soon as possible.

It was a hit that knocked all the air out of Gray. He stared at the spot on the hill where the demon had been just mere seconds ago and then his eyes sought Erza's. Her eyes were wide and shocked. Gray coughed as he felt his stomach twist and let out a grunt when he felt his body collide with a tree. He didn't have the time to recover because the demon was in front of him again, landing another punch. Gray felt all the air knocked out of his system and a broken groan was all he could muster.

''Get away from him!'' Erza yelled as she jumped at the demon from behind, her sword up in the air, ready to slash down. She didn't waver and moved to slice off one of the wings. But all the demon did was laugh and he was gone again, moving behind Erza with ease and gave her the same treatment as he had Gray. As Erza's body crashed into the stone wall, she was sent swinging past Lucy. The blonde was watching the events unfold in front of her in silence. She watched the demon pick up Gray by the throat and pushing him against the tree again. She watched Gray's feet kicking at the creature desperately, watched him trying to get the pink haired monster to release his grip. She heard Erza cough and she watched her run to launch a new offensive. Her brown eyes started to clear up, as she watched Erza fail, being swung back to the same brick wall. Her fingers started twitching as her lips trembled.

''Let go of my son!''

A giant hand punched the demon away from Gray and as Gray slid down the tree, Lucy's eyes travelled to Makarov, who had tears streaming down his cheeks. ''Don't make me hurt you. You're also my son.'' he added, his other hand wiping away at his cheeks. Erza had limped back to Gray, helping him stand up again. Their eyes showed despair, but they were not giving up yet.

Lucy's mind was a whirlwind of emotions, thoughts and they were all battling for dominance, leaving Lucy confused. Her legs trembled, she wanted to stand up, she wanted to fight, she wanted to protect. But how could she? How could she fight him? How could she possible fight the one who had been supporting her for that long time?

She didn't have a lot of time to think as Gray and Erza launched their counterattack, with Makarov supporting him. Erza managed to inflict minor damage on the demon, making him howl at the dark sky, before focussing his black eyes on the red haired warrior. But beforei he could reach out to her, Gray attacked him from the other side, freezing his feet to the ground, giving Makarov the opportunity to strike the demon.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as she watched the scene in front of her. She saw how the demon took Makarov's punch with laughter and how he easily melted the ice at his feet. He laughed as he kicked Gray aside, punched Erza away and made way for Makarov.

A loud, animalistic roar ripped the sky in two as the thunder and lightning ruled the sky. The demon picked Makarov up by the front of his shirt and stared. Makarove held his own and stared right back. ''Come back to us.'' he pleaded, tears flowing freely over his cheeks. ''Come back my son. We can fix this. You're not a demon. Don't make us hurt you. Don't make us kill you!'' Makarov's eyes were begging the monster to stop but it kept laughing, laughing and laughing. Its laughter sent chills down Lucy's spine. It killed her inside, to hear that laughter, it broke her.

As Makarov pleaded, Erza and Gray launched another attack. This was one more futile attempt and as the both of them were flung away into another dark corner of the hill, Makarov pleaded the demon one more time. The demon seemed unaware of the words directed at him and tossed Makarov after Erza and Gray, who did not stand up again.

Lucy stared at the demon in front of her, who had yet to acknowledge her presence. Her hand moved to the keys on her hip, her fingers trembling. She trembled all over her body, how could she ever defeat this monster?

As soon as she thought the word, she felt guilt take over her. He was no monster, not even now.

However, Lucy was not given any time to collect her thoughts as a blue flash flew past her.

''Stop it!'' it screamed, rushing forward to the monster. ''What are you doing? Erza and Gray and Master are our friends!''

The monster stared at the little creature in surprise, tilting its head slightly as if trying to understand what was talking to him.

''You heard me!'' The flying cat trembled all over, but it still managed to sound collected. His voice was strong, confident, and showed no signs of backing down. ''Yeah, I'm talking to you!'' He circled around the monster, averting the monster's attention from the fallen warriors and then guided him away. The monster followed him, just watching without a sound as if trying to understand.

As the flying cat looked at the creature, a shiver went down his spine. This was his friend, he had lived with him for so long, they had passed the area of friends. They were partners, they were family, they were brothers. ''Don't you remember me?'' he sobbed out, not sure when he started crying, ''It's Happy, don't you remember me?!'' his voice grew louder and the demon seemed to have decided what he wanted to do with the cat.

As he lifted his fist, surrounded by dark energy, he was stopped by a kick to his back, which didn't send him flying. He did lower his fist as he looked at his attacker.

''Will you snap out of it?!'' Her red hair looked like it was, despite being wet, on fire. Erza puffed out her chest, all her armour having faded, her magic depleted but still strong. ''You don't hurt family!'' She yelled, all her remaining strength focused on her legs, trying to stay standing. ''You have got to snap out of it! You hurt Master, you hurt Gray! When will you stop?'' Erza took a deep breath, and as the creature watched her, his head slightly tilted, she summoned all her strength and managed to connect her fist to his cheek.

The creature coughed, and it seemed that for the first time since this one sided battle started, he experienced a sense of pain. He let out a roar that sent shivers down the spines of Erza and Happy, and prepared to retaliate. He lifted his fist again, the same dark matter started to concentrate itself around his hand. Erza prepared herself, no strength left to avoid the incoming punch. Happy was frozen in place. He watched with wide eyes, tears spilling down his face. Erza closed her eyes as she saw the fist coming closer and prepared for the impact.

An impact that never reached her.

As she opened her eyes, she saw that someone had flung themselves at the monster, their long blonde locks still flowing from the motion, the face hidden at the crook of the creature's neck.

''Don't hurt your family. Don't you remember?'' was spoken by a weak and muffled voice. Happy stared at how the arms were locked behind the monster's neck, hugging and holding onto the creature for dear life. ''Don't hurt your family anymore.'' The voice grew louder, and it shocked both Happy and Erza. The girl's leggings were tattered, her skirt ripped, her arms scarred but she was here now, protecting what was important to her. ''Listen to me!'' Her voice had reached a screaming volume, driven by anger, regret and pain.

''Lucy, what are you doing?'' Erza had regained her ability to speak, worried for her friend. ''We need to go, we can't save him.''

''I'm not leaving him behind!'' Lucy turned her head, her cheeks red, her eyes red but her expression determined. ''I'm not leaving this hill without him. You go, take Happy, Gray, Master and leave. Protect the others. I have to save him.''

Erza's eyes widened and slowly she nodded. Erza had always admired the strong sense of loyalty that carried Lucy through life. Always believed that Lucy's power did not lie in her physical abilities, but in her strong mind, her determination. The redhead knew that once Lucy set her mind to something, she'd see it through. Lucy would never run, never betray her ideals, her beliefs and her friends. Her brown orbs had regained their colour, regained their spark and Erza knew she could leave it to the blonde to finish this battle. Her eyes held her usual expression, there was some fear, yes, Lucy was not fearless. She was sensible, she knew that this could go wrong. Erza knew that Lucy was no fool; but despite being shaken down to her core, she would make sure to create a happy ending.

''Erza! We can't leave her by herself!'' Happy chimed in, still watching the creature with a careful eye, not missing its confused expression as it was frozen in place.

''She won't change her mind, and keeping her distracted will put her in even more danger! Happy, we leave this to Lucy!'' Erza's voice was stern, strong and contained a hint of worry. Happy's eyes switched between the two girls, unsure what to do.

''Happy, you go and help Gray and Master. I'll handle this.'' It was the confidence that resonated from the simple words that encouraged Happy to fly over to Erza and pick her up. He wished and prayed that Lucy would be able to bring things back to normal, because if she couldn't, no one could.

Not having to worry about the others for now, Lucy focused her attention to the creature in front of her. She had locked her arms securely around the monster's neck, and now took a strong breath.

''Try to remember who you are! Try and remember!'' She yelled, leaning back to look the monster in the eye. ''You're no monster, you're no demon! You're Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail!''

Lucy's eyes locked with Natsu's. They were dark, no hint of light was visible but she held her gaze. It worried her, it scared her, it relit a fire in her that demanded to be felt. It demanded her to save Natsu from this darkness. From his darkness. The dark secret he had kept hidden from her, but she was sure to save him regardless.

Natsu hadn't moved a single muscle since Lucy grasped him. He seemed confused, unsure of what to do with this mage in front of him. He didn't sense any particularly strong magic coming from her. She seemed weak, was she even worth his time? He looked down at her, the strong brown orbs, the scars across her cheeks from flying projectiles, but that expression he couldn't place. Was she strong enough to pose trouble?

As Lucy moved her hand to his forehead, to stroke away the long locks of pink hair, he felt a searing pain from her touch. He pushed her away, confused where she had hidden that power. Lucy managed to withstand the push, her hand having reached for her keys before she even realised it herself. Her fingers held the golden keys which had saved her from the strongest enemies many times in the past. But Natsu was no monster. He was her partner. Her friend. With a slight shake of her head, she moved her hand away from the keys.

Natsu stared at her, his dark eyes looking at her hand, his head slightly tilted. He let out an animal groan as he sensed a lot of power coming from those keys. He lunged forward, dark matter collecting around his fists as he reached his arm out to Lucy. The blonde braced herself for the impact, not looking away from the black orbs that didn't seem to see her at all. Natsu didn't portray any emotion as he flung his fist back and aimed for her abdomen.

There was something in the gaze that made Natsu halt his fist. Something inside him stirred him to stop. Something inside him made him stop.

'' _..._ Grrr...''

Lucy's eyes widened in her confusion. She watched how Natsu seemed to have some sort of inner struggle. The celestial spirit mage hesitated in her step, but after a deep breath, moved closer to Natsu.

Natsu didn't seem to realise Lucy was closing in on him. Groans and mutters left past his lips as he closed his eyes and lifted his claws to cover his face.

Lucy extended her hand, a shaky hand which surprised her. She stared at her trembling fingers and took another deep breath. ''Don't be afraid,'' she muttered, mostly to herself, ''it's just Natsu.'' Having regained her confidence, the shaking having stopped, Lucy continued reaching for Natsu.

But before she could even touch him, the dragon slayer let out a deafening roar and launched himself forward. He knocked Lucy to the ground, grabbing her wrists and pushing them to the ground, leaving Lucy without a means to escape his grasp.

''Natsu!'' She yelled, out of surprise as her head knocked against the wet rocks, her vision slightly blurry. She closed her eyes to make the pounding inside her head stop and when she opened them, she came face to face with Natsu's dark orbs. ''Natsu?'' she repeated, the name now a question. Lucy tried to wriggle her right arm out of the uncomfortable position it was in, but to no avail.

Natsu watched her squirm underneath him. His eyes were dark, empty but held an intensity they were missing before. He seemed troubled, by what Lucy didn't know.

''Natsu?'' She called out to him again, as he tightened the grip on her wrist. She winced as she felt a sharp pain slowly crawling all over her arms as Natsu seemed to have lost all control again.

More mutterings and groans left Natsu's lips as he watched the blonde mage struggle underneath him. He moved his upper body slightly back, making it easier to see the heavy heaving of her chest, the blood stains on her face, arms and the pain on her face. He was about to laugh as he realised something unusual in her expression. She still had a sparkle of light in her eyes. This confused Natsu, why was she still trying? She was weak. Weaker than the other two he defeated. Her magic levels seemed low. But that touch? Natsu remembered the sharp pain he felt when she tried to touch his face. She must have some hidden power, something that gives her hope of defeating him.

This time the laugh did leave Natsu's chest as he roared to the night sky. He laughed, cackling as he watched the lightning strikes and listened to the heavy roars of thunder. This human was not going to defeat him. Him, the E.N.D. He wouldn't allow a mere human to defeat him.

He got off of Lucy, leaving her confused but she didn't let confusion slow her down. She immediately sat up, flicked her bangs out of her eyes but before she could find the strength in her legs to get up from the dirty ground, Natsu moved in on her and lifted her by the neck. Lucy's eyes widened as he forced the air out of her lungs. With her remaining strength she moved to punch the arm and to pry the fingers open from her neck. Her brown eyes closed slightly as her expression shifted from fear to concentration to pain. She bit her lip as she locked the sounds of pain in her throat.

Natsu watched the expressions on Lucy's face with a faint interest. He didn't care about the fear in her brown orbs, or the way her eyebrows knitted together as she seemed to focus on something. He wanted to see her pain. The way her eyes turned dark, the way she frowned, the rosy colour on her cheeks. But he wanted to hear her pain. He wanted her to cry out. His wings clapped against the wind as the ideas of getting that cry flooded his mind. Natsu laughed as he chucked Lucy away, against a standing tree and followed after her with his immense speed.

Before Lucy's body touched the ground, unable to have even properly registered the impact, he held her up against the tree by her neck again. Lucy had bitten her lip again when she felt the bark against her back, to prevent any form of groan leaving her mouth. She could feel the skin on her lips break, making way for the red liquid to drip over, but she didn't care. As she realigned her eyes with Natsu, she moved to kick him with the little strength she had.

Natsu just stared at the blonde mage with disinterest. He didn't feel the kick at all. He was just waiting. Waiting for the first groan, or yelp, or, even better, a scream. His wings clapped against his back excitedly and he let the corners of lips turn upwards.

Lucy's eyes widened as she watched the smirk crawl up Natsu's face. She took a sharp breath when Natsu released his grip slightly and visibly flinched when he clasped around her throat tighter. She moved her hands to his wrist, her fingers moving against his skin, trying to create more room to breathe.

''..Na.. tsu..''

Her voice was strained but the syllables recognisable. Her eyes were half-closed, her vision blurry. She was losing consciousness, she could feel reality slipping away from her.

''...Na..'' she coughed, feeling her lungs tighten in her chest, ''..Na...tsu..'' She stopped to collect the floating bits of her consciousness to form one last request.

''.. _Stop_..''

As soon as the noise left her lips, her fingers slipped from the dragon slayer's wrist and hung lifelessly next to her body. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly open. Natsu let go of her neck with a disappointed 'Tsk.' He watched as gravity pulled the blonde mage to the ground.

Then he stood still. Waiting. Watching

He felt something. Something in his chest. It was different. It felt like a roar came from within. The feeling was warm, like fire. But not a pleasant heat, it felt like he was being scorched from within. He felt like he was about to be consumed. He felt anger. Anger he couldn't understand. He felt his heart clench as he looked at the blonde's lifeless body. He felt pain watching her.

Something inside him wanted to break free.

Something inside him wanted to break him.

There was something inside him battling him.

Right as lightning struck, Natsu fell down to his knees and let out a deafening roar. He held his head in his clawed arms, his eyes closed. He kept shouting, screaming. He felt his throat burn. His wings were clapping against each other, out of control. Out of _his_ control.

He opened his eyes and felt his vision blur as he looked at Lucy's body. He held his breath as he watched the blonde mage. The hot feeling inside him seemed to be burning.

 _What was happening?_

Natsu crawled over to Lucy, his vision still blurry. The pounding in his head subsiding. He sat down in front of her, his wings slowly coming back under his control. He watched her face, which was covered in scars and bruises.

 _Was she dead?_

He watched her intently and saw the very light rise of her chest. Natsu cocked his head slightly.

 _Was she alive?_

He noticed how the blonde's fingers twitched, how they slowly curled into a ball, dragging the dirt into the palm of her hand. She coughed a couple of times and then proceeded to sit up. Her blond hair was wet and dirty, little branches and just dirt hiding between the locks. She kept her gaze at the ground and then took a deep breath. She wobbled into a standing position, her head down, her eyes hidden by her bangs.

Natsu's eyes followed all her movements, wondering what she was going to do next. The feeling inside him made him feel warm, was this _pride_?

Natsu's eyes widened as he noticed how Lucy balled her hands into fists. Her chest heaved, she took one deep breath and flung her head back. Natsu watched her, in trance, his skin was glowing, burning up form the inside. He wanted to watch her, but _why_? Why was he so impressed with her? His gaze slid down from her face, her determined eyes, to her balled fists. She was trembling, she was honestly trembling. But when Natsu's eyes realigned with her eyes, he saw no fear. Her body may be trembling, but Lucy's eyes were calm. The calmness itself was eerie. It sent shivers down Natsu's spine. The determination that had slowly turned to tranquillity, the lack of fear for such a monster as himself, it truly did sent shivers down his spine.

Lucy moved one of her hands to brush her wet bangs out of her face, huffing slightly. Her cheeks were rosy, the tip of her nose red, the scars on her face itching, her lungs begging for air. But she felt weirdly powerful. Natsu hadn't moved since she got up. It worried her slightly, but also gave her the impression he was slowly coming to his senses. He must be, right?

''Natsu?''

Lucy's voice came out more wobbly and unsure than she would have liked, but she couldn't help but notice how Natsu responded to the sound. His eyes widened as he watched her, his mouth slightly ajar.

''Natsu.''

Lucy was far more pleased with how steadfast her voice sounded this time around and nodded slightly to herself. Natsu cocked his head to the side and still watched her with slight confusion. She smiled at him slightly, causing more confusion in the pink haired male. Lucy took one step towards him but was brought to a stop when he roared at her, his wings clapping against one another. He moved away from her, his claws ready for the attack. His eyes were dark, the little light that had been collected lost to the black depths.

Lucy took one deep breath, pulled her right fist back and then launched forward.

''Wake up!''

She screamed as she connected her fist to Natsu's left cheek.

She knew she wasn't strong enough to elicit a roar of pain. She knew she wasn't strong enough to send him flying. She knew she wasn't strong enough to actually make Natsu flinch.

But exactly that knowledge made her hold her ground when Natsu showed no signs of acknowledging her punch. She made eye contact with Natsu, who seemed confused about the impact. He seemed to ponder whether or not that was a real attempt at pain, did she really try to hurt him?

Lucy shook her head once more, her blond hair flicking around as the wind howled against their figures.

''Get a grip of yourself!'' She screamed, holding onto Natsu's shoulders. She dug her nails into his scaly skin, took a deep breath, threw her head back and finally, as she exhaled, bumped her head against Natsu's forehead with as much force as she could.

Lucy felt a tinge of pride as she forced Natsu to take a step back, to regain his balance.

She smiled softly as their eyes locked and then moved their foreheads together again, gentle this time.

''Natsu, come back to us.''

A soft groan left Natsu's lips as the feeling of something against his forehead gave him hints of pain like they did when she first touched him. But inside him something roared. Something was trying to gain control.

Lucy closed her eyes as she moved her right hand from Natsu's shoulder to the back of his head, pulling him closer.

''Trust me and come back to us. Come back to me.'' Her voice cracked on the last syllable, drawing a slight groan from the male.

.

While Natsu seemed to be pretty untouched by Lucy's attempts, his mind was twirling with a whirlwind of emotions. He had been cornered into the small corner of his mind, his legs drawn upwards, his chin resting on his knees, surrounded by black. He was fuelled by feelings of hate and anger. He couldn't see anything but dark. He couldn't hear anything but the chants of 'E.N.D.'. He couldn't smell anything but burned charcoal. He smelled blood. He tasted nothing, his mouth was dry. He was all alone, left in the darkness of his own mind.

But now, he heard a name calling. It was his name calling out to him. It was a soft female voice calling him.

As Natsu looked up, he was blinded by a bright light. It called his name. He looked at the light as it slowly turned to a figure, long locks flowing behind them. Their right hand extended to them, chanting 'Natsu' like a spell.

Natsu looked away from the light as the darkness slowly moved to him, pulling him flat against the ground. He could feel the darkness creeping over his arms, pulling him down. He felt the darkness call him, 'E.N.D.' like a curse.

He sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling the darkness move to his face and was prepared to let himself get drowned under the thing he was. The thing he was. The monster. The demon. The Thing.

''Natsu. We still have an adventure to continue.''

Natsu's eyes opened as he felt something warm touch his forehead. He looked at the blinding light, feeling his face grow hot. He pulled his arm out of the darkness, to touch the light. He felt the darkness shout and scream, he felt it pulling at his clothes. At his arms, legs, his flesh as he tried to sit up. He moved closer to the light, moving his hand to touch their face. He moved past their face as the light seemed to smile at him and held the back of their head. He sighed as he felt at ease with the light against his head and pulled closer.

As he got closer to standing, his senses started working. A familiar scent entered his nostrils, it smelled of flowers and strawberries. It smelt of familiarity. He took a deep breathe, and soaked himself with this sense of warmth.

But he knew this feeling. There was something - someone - who had made him feel this way before..

.

''Lu...cy..?''

.

Lucy's eyes shot open as she heard the syllables leave Natsu's mouth. She hadn't moved when Natsu's hand had tangled itself in her hair, nor had she moved when he took sharp breaths. She didn't flinch when he pulled her closer.

''Natsu?!'' She shouted, her voice loud in her excitement. She focused her eyes on Natsu's, the pools of darkness having been filled with light. Tears filled Lucy's eyes as she heard Natsu's breathing slow down. She moved her free hand to his back, feeling the wings retract, and sighed with relief.

''Natsu?'' She slowly moved herself away from his forehead and watched the horns drill back into his skull.

''Lucy?''

Lucy let out a yelp and flung herself against Natsu, pulling the both of them down in the process. She cried tears as she hugged him tightly.

''You came back for us! You came back to us! You came back! You - You- Natsu!'' her sobs got in the way of her speech, but Lucy was overjoyed in her emotions.

Natsu looked up at the sky, the dark sky that slowly started to part. He felt Lucy tug at him, digging her fingers into his skin, her cheek firmly pressed against his neck. He slowly moved a hand to pat her head, slowly stroking her hair. He watched the sun peek through the blanket of dark, the rain stop, the wind turn into a breeze. He absent-mindedly twirled his fingers around the blonde locks. He felt his eyes tinge and felt the light of the sun harsh. As he closed his eyes, he felt something wet roll to his ears, noticing how he had started crying.

''Lucy, what did I do?''

Lucy stopped crying and got up from Natsu's chest. She sat in front of him, watching as Natsu got up to match her sitting pose.

''You, um..'' Lucy looked away, avoiding eye contact. She felt Natsu's stare on her scars, her wet hair, the bruises. ''You were consumed.'' she settled on. ''By.. By the.. Err..''

''I became E.N.D.'' Natsu offered her.

Lucy nodded.

''I'm a monster.'' Natsu hissed. He looked away from Lucy, disgust and anger controlling him. ''Dammit!'' he screamed. He punched the ground and felt his shoulders shake. He choked on his breath and tears started streaming down his cheeks.

''Who did I hurt?'' He asked, his eyes demanding an answer.

An answer Lucy didn't give. Or didn't have to give.

Natsu stood up and looked around him. His eyes widened in horror as he looked at the destruction before him. The guild was gone, the trees burned down, houses broken. He let himself fall on his knees.

''I did.. all this?''

Natsu held his head between his hands and cried. His soft crying turned to shouting, to screaming, to howling.

Lucy slowly got up from her sitting position and walked over to him. She sat down in front of him and moved her hand to Natsu's hair. She stroked his hair, waiting for Natsu to wear himself down.

While he was crying, she looked at his shaking shoulders, without a word. She watched him shout and scream, watched him cry. She sighed with relief. He was still human. He was hurt by what he had done, he was regretting. He was still human.

.

''Natsu?'' she called out to him as Natsu's screams had reduced to light sniffs.

Natsu turned his head away and Lucy shook her head.

''Look at me?'' She asked him, her voice soft and gentle. She moved her hands to his face, cupped his cheeks and made him look at her.

She moved her head to her shoulder to cough, collected her wits and started talking, looking Natsu straight in the eye, ''You know, when I grew up, people made me to be someone I'm not. I'm not a little princess that can be satisfied with pretty dresses. I'm not satisfied with having all the things in the world. I want to travel. I want to write. I want to meet people. I want to see places. I want to help people. I want to laugh, love and live. But I couldn't. Not at my house. Not as Lucy Heartfilia, not the as the person as who I was raised. But you gave me a chance to be all that I wanted. I could travel and laugh and live and do all the things I've dreamed off. You gave me a new name. No longer was I little princess Lucy Heartfilia, I was now Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.''

Lucy watched Natsu nod slightly and waited to until he dried his eyes before continuing.

''You were born as Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel. After you lost Igneel, you found a new place to call home. Home. The thing you lost. And then you fought for that home so many times. Fought for family. For the people dear to you. And then you meet someone and tells you who you are, who you _really_ are. And it shakes you up. You're no longer Natsu Dragneel, all of a sudden you're E.N.D. the strongest of Zeref's demons. And it scares you. It scares you. But Natsu, listen to me.''

Lucy took a deep breath, ''You told me you can be anything you want to be. We don't have to settle for what people think we are, or who we should be. Listen here, you are Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail. The Fire Dragon slayer, son of the Fire King Igneel. And that's all you are. That's all you have to be. You don't have to be the strongest demon, just be the strongest Natsu.''

Natsu's eyes widened and his mouth was slightly ajar. Lucy watched with a slight smile how his features changed from initial shock to acceptance.

''You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. Just be Natsu, for Fairy Tail, for you friends, for Erza, Gray, Happy.'' Her cheeks got a little red as she mumbled, ''For me.''

Natsu remained quiet as he watched Lucy's face intently. He felt tears stream down his cheeks again as he realised what he wanted. ''I want to be Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail!'' he screamed.

Lucy nodded and smiled at him. ''That's all you have to be.''

Natsu slowly started smiling through his tears. He moved one of his hands to Lucy's face and cupped her face gently. He watched as Lucy's blood seemed to rush to her cheeks as he moved closer to her. He chuckled slightly as he leaned closer to her and placed his head to her forehead. He took a deep breath, and then sighed gently.

Lucy looked up at from under her eyelashes and felt oddly at ease with the relaxed expression that rested on Natsu's face. She closed her eyes as Natsu moved his other hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer.

''Lucy, thank you.''

''That's what I'm here for, to have your back.''

 **The End.**


End file.
